Need
by jaderaid
Summary: “We need others. We need others to love and we need to be loved by them. There is no doubt that without it, we too, like the infant left alone, would cease to grow, cease to develop, choose madness and even death.” SasuSaku, post series.


**A/N: First prompt for mission_insane on livejournal: response to prompt **_**Places: Bathroom**_**. Inspired by the awesomely-awesome i AM the Random Idiot.**

_Screams penetrated the air with the shrillness of a skyward rocket. Flames leapt up like the tongues of fireworks. Ash plummeted to the ground in a dark haze. It filled the air with a dirty haze and covered the ground in a fine dark film, shrouding the faces of the dead. This place, his once-home– _Konohagakure_– was burning to the ground. The pleas and shrieks, the harsh screeches of weapon scraping against weapon, the grunts and yells of the combatants and the dying– Uchiha Sasuke stood in the center of it all, untouched and untouchable, there and yet somehow apart from it all. Reflected in his eyes, orbs darker than the darkest night and holding far more sadness and bitterness than should ever be contained within a not-quite-seventeen-year-old, the flames danced a dance of ecstasy, swirling in their well of jaded hatred until it seemed they might burst free with their own life._

_A flash of swift movement darted past him, and for a second, a brief second, as his Chakra intensified in his body and he was forced to activate his Sharingan, shock shooting across his face– what demon moves with such speed?– he caught a glimpse of green eyes glaring through the ash, then everything flared white with an explosion of pain sweeping everything from his sight. Another blow before he'd even registered the pain of the first doubled him over, blood searing his throat as he coughed in disbelief and agony and collapsed to the ground._

_That voice... it wasn't–_

"_Sasuke-kun!"_

-xXx- Need -xXx-

"_We need others. We need others to love and we need to be loved by them. There is no doubt that without it, we too, like the infant left alone, would cease to grow, cease to develop, choose madness and even death."_ –Leo F. Buscaglia

Haruno Sakura brushed a loose strand of pink hair away from her face, muttering with frustration at the stray strand that refused to stay back in the short ponytail with the rest. With her wrist, she shut off the faucet and held her dripping hands under the automatic dryer, listening to it whir on and blow hot air over her hands. The once-gleaming, sterile washroom was now as dirty as almost everywhere else. An explosion nearby had shaken dust from the mortar between the tiles and shrouded the room with a fine haze of dust that swirled around every footstep. The same explosion had knocked out several of the lights, lending it a dim and uninviting pallor. Gazing at herself in the cracked mirror over the sink in the hospital's restroom, she closed her tired eyes and pretended not to see her haggard expression and weary eyes.

There were too many wounded, too many dead. The hospital was overcrowded in a way it hadn't been since the last Great Ninja War. _Shinobi_, civilians... it didn't matter who it was; the flames didn't discriminate, the _shuriken_ didn't choose its victims with care. The ruins of the once-unassailable Village Hidden in the Leaves, in the aftermath of the battle for Konohagakure, still emitted a ghastly smoke that curled up into the sky and seeped in through the windows. The stench of blood was everywhere.

The whirring of the hand dryer shut off and Sakura opened her eyes, heart leaping into her throat and muscles tensing with reflexive fear.

Over her shoulder, black eyes stared back into her terrified green. Her hands shook, and she grabbed the edge of the sink with both hands for support, staring into the mirror. Without turning, she swallowed hard, voice emerging from between her lips in a cracked whisper. "Sasuke-_k_–" She bit off the honorific suffix and forced her fear back, hardening her eyes and harshening her voice. "What do you want?"

He said nothing, only looked at her reflection– his face expressionless, his eyes dull and dead.

"Why are you here?" A guttural growl threatened to escape her lips.

A slight flash of something that might have once been called amusement flickered across his face, but it didn't touch his eyes. "You put me in here," he paused for a second, his reflection's eyes meeting hers, "Sakura."

The sound of him saying her name sent shivers down her spine. "I don't mean, 'why are you in the hospital', I mean, why are you here in the girl's bathroom?" A hundred thousand years ago, before the dead, before the dying, before love and betrayal, the innocent-sounding question would have been a source of a quick laugh. Her voice, his eyes, their past made it something else entirely and leeched any possible humor from the question.

Sasuke didn't answer.

Eyes blazing, she closed them and clenched her fists against the cold, uncompromising porcelain of the sink. "I'm not afraid of you anymore," she gritted out. "Your Chakra is sealed."

Inadvertently, she opened her eyes, gaze flicking to his reflection's chest. His torn and baggy white shirt was unzipped, the edges of the bandage over his heart peeking from beneath the cloth. There were bandages wrapped around his midsection from her brutal uppercut that had shattered his ribs, bandages around his forehead from her left hook that had fractured his skull, but that single square of white cloth inexorably drew her attention. "That's the only reason you aren't locked up somewhere; you try anything, and we will kill you. Easily." Beneath that square bandage, delicately inked as if by the stroke of a wide brush, were the flowing lines of a _manji_-seal, similar to the one forever carved into Hyuuga Neji's forehead, now indelibly etched in black over Sasuke's heart.

He softly snorted through his nose, a smirk hovering awkwardly over his lips as if he were trying to remember what it felt like. "Where is _Taka_?" he asked abruptly, abandoning the attempt at civility.

"Your team?"How it burned her mouth like bile to say those words, but she forced an air of nonchalance, pretending that she didn't mean, _our replacements_. "Imprisoned. Solitary confinement until Morino Ibiki-_san_ can interrogate them each individually." Delicate pink eyebrows rose, lips twitching in a mockery of a smile. "Don't tell me you actually care about them?"

Again, no answer. Silence stretched between them, broken at intermittent intervals only by the drip of water from the faucet and the distant, steady beep of a heart monitor somewhere down the hall. Outside the broken window, the cadence of someone hammering planks into a roof filtered into the bathroom and echoed from the tiles.

"I–"

"Save it for someone who cares," she cut him off angrily, releasing her grip on the sink and turning sharply on her heel, shoving her way past him as if he weren't even there. "Say hello to your ANBU watchdog for me; I know he's around here somewhere."

"Sakura."

Mid-step, she froze, cursing herself for her own weakness. Her back to him, she focused on his breathing, muscles tensed to sense even the tiniest vibrations in the air that would signal his movement. "What now, Sasuke?"

"I'm... impressed." His words were chosen carefully, she could hear that much from his voice. "I would never have thought you would be the one to take me down."

"Well, then we're both full of surprises. I would never have thought you'd try to _destroy the village_." Her own heartbeat echoed in her ears, resounding from the cold tile walls. What little light there was shining from the single dirty but functional fluorescent light stung her eyes, splintering in its intensity through the film of tears gathered in her eyes. "If you'll excuse me, I have patients who need me." Bitterness stung her throat like bile. He never needed her. "ANBU-_san_," she called loudly, resuming her march toward the door, heels clacking sharply against the floor. "Please ensure this patient returns to his room."

A brush of air against the back of her neck was the only warning. Eyes wide, adrenaline spiking, Sakura pivoted on one foot, Chakra gathered in her upraised fist, but Sasuke only lunged in further with all the grace of a hunting cat. A single open-handed slap to her inner arm redirected her energy, her Chakra flying from her numbed hand to explode against the cheap aluminum door of one of the many bathroom stalls lining the wall. The metal dented inward with an angry squeal, dust and smoke scattering in a maelstrom through the restroom, yet somehow the two of them remained untouched in the midst of it. His hand shifted to grip her wrist and press it back, painfully locking the joint. His momentum shoved her back against the hard wall, his free hand snaking to grab her other hand and pin it high above her head.

Sakura coughed and glared, vainly sucking for air from the impact. Angry Chakra sparked in her veins and swirled through her body, but he pressed her wrist back and she let her energy dissipate with a pained grimace.

"The ANBU aren't here," he whispered, lips tickling her ear as he leaned in. His knee pressed into her inner thigh, further pinning her and soliciting a tiny moan from the contact. "You think... just because you've sealed my Chakra... that I'm powerless?" His warm breath gently caressed her cheek as he pulled back, their eyes meeting for the first time since the attack. "I will always have the upper hand. Sakura."

Blood rushed to her face at his closeness, her heart pounding faster and faster at the way their bodies were twined together. "If you don't let go of me, I'll start breaking bones," she whispered, eyes wide.

"Why don't you just activate the seal over my heart and kill me?" he inquired almost conversationally.

"You're holding my hands." Anger drained from her voice as she sagged in his grip, sublimating her fury and masking her energy to make him think she'd given up struggling. It wouldn't take long for the ANBU to come running, what with the sound of their short battle and the fact that their prisoner was missing.

His eyes attempted unsuccessfully to penetrate her soul. "Why is _Taka_ imprisoned and I am free?"

"Because you were supposed to be unable to move from injuries." A slim pink eyebrow quirked as she tried to calm her beating heart. "Obviously the doctor who took over for me didn't sedate you properly."

"...You're different from how I remember you." His grip didn't loosen as he stared deeper into her eyes.

Snorting softly through her nose, Sakura more than matched his stare. "You mean the love-struck fool I used to be? Oh, I got over my infatuation, thanks." Her heart crumpled inside her chest at the admission, but her gaze didn't waver. She had once tried to lose herself in the black depths of his eyes, full of emotion and hopes. She had once wished to see herself reflected in them one day, but now all she could see was dull resignation.

Raven locks brushed her face as he shook his head. "I wasn't referring to that. You've become strong."

"Once I would have done anything to hear you acknowledge me," she whispered, chest heaving from exertion and the feel of his body so close to hers, "but it doesn't mean anything to me now. Do you want to know something?" Without waiting for his response, she continued, refusing to look away, "I needed you to leave so I could become strong. I needed something to work toward."

He said nothing, his eyes leaving hers first to trace her face as if searching for something. A small thrill of triumph shot through her at the knowledge that she'd won their informal staring contest, that her energy had overpowered his.

"And now, you need me."

His gaze shot back to her, widened just a little with surprise. Again, she felt the tiniest bit of satisfaction at being the one in control for the first time.

"You can't leave Konohagakure. You will have no life other than what is ordained by Hokage-_sama_. Do you want to know something? It's because of _me_ that you're not imprisoned. One word from me," she closed her eyes and leaned in so she brushed his ear, "and I could have you locked up for the rest of your life."

"And why...?" His hold on her wrist faltered for just an instant, just enough for her to slip free of the joint lock but not enough to allow her to slide free completely.

Sakura paused and drew back, unable to answer. For the first time, she saw something like uncertainty flicker in his eyes, though whether it was his or just her own, she couldn't say. This time, she lost the contest, eyes flying away and blood rushing to her face as she glared to the side. "Let go, or I will _make you_ let go," she bit out harshly.

"Can you do that?" Rather than flagrantly mocking her, his tone conveyed nothing but disinterested curiosity as he examined her face.

Dammit, where were the ANBU?

He saw her thoughts fly across her face, a fleeting smirk adorning his lips. "They're not coming," he breathed in her ear. His leg, pinned against hers, slowly inched up her body, eliciting hot tingles across the bare skin beneath her skirt. Sakura fought the instinctual moan that threatened to escape her lips as his knee pressed into her core. His eyes closed, his lips caressed her ear as he whispered, so soft and gentle she almost didn't hear it, "So... what will you do?"

She barely noticed her breathing quicken with her heartbeat, breasts heaving at his touch, _for _his touch. "Let go of me."

"If I say... no?" As if he were teasing her, his lips trailed from her ear to brush the sensitive skin of her neck, a gasp bursting from her lips.

Then her eyes snapped open. "_Don't fuck with me!_" Rage ignited within her, pure, unadulterated hatred filtering into her Chakra and exploding from her hands. Wrist free of the lock, she grabbed his wrists and bent them back, forcing her body against him and shoving him back with all of her Chakra-enhanced strength. Her foot tangled with his, deftly overbalancing him.

Sasuke snorted contemptuously as he fell, twisting his hands to grab hers and pull her down with him, spinning them around so her back slammed into the floor. Sakura coughed, pain blasting through her spine from the fall, eyes blazing with hate. Straddled over her, his hands pressing her wrists against the cold, dust-smeared tile, Sasuke only smirked. "You're even more vulnerable than you were before," he stated easily, bangs falling over his face to mask his eyes.

"Why did you come back?" she spat, muscles tensed against him, breath wheezing through her lips.

"I thought that's what you and Naruto wanted."

"Don't fuck with me."

An almost amused snort, and he shook his head. His hair gently brushed her face at the motion, and almost conversationally he answered, "To kill him. Danzou. That's become my entire purpose." If he were alarmed at nonchalantly confessing his intent to murder one of the most prominent men in the village, it wasn't audible in his voice.

"Danzou?" Sakura sucked in a breath. "Well, it's no great loss." Feigning indifference, her green eyes blinked once. "Tsunade-_sama_ hates him anyway. You'll probably even get a medal. But..."

Barely visible behind ebony locks, his eyes narrowed.

"Is that what you really want?" Without flinching, she carefully allowed her muscles to relax. "Haven't you already learned the emptiness of revenge?"

Silence. Nothing but her rapidly beating her heart and the slow drip of the faucet penetrated the stillness.

"I don't know what happened between you and Itachi, but–"

"What do you think you know about me?" he hissed angrily as, viselike, his grip tightened painfully on her wrists. "You haven't changed, Sakura." Beneath his shirt, beneath the bandage, the black _manji_-seal burned red and sizzled under the onslaught of his will as his Chakra fought against its bonds, the dust on the floor swirling around them from his contained energy.

Softly, without resisting, she murmured, "So are you going to kill me?" She bit her lip to keep her pained outcry from escaping as he pressed her harder into the merciless tile floor.

And then it was gone, his pressure dissipating as if it had never been. "There would be no point in killing you," was all he said, releasing his hold and rising smoothly to his feet. Turning his back to her, he strode quickly across the room.

Shakily levering herself to her feet, Sakura watched him go, emotions warring within her at the sight of his back, the torn Uchiha crest the same as it had been three years ago when he'd left her behind the first time. "S..." Her voice cracked, but she swallowed hard and forced past it. "Sasuke!"

At the sound of her voice, he paused and turned slightly.

"Where are you going?"

He didn't answer and turned back.

Desperately, she called, "You'll never be able to find your team without my help."

Frozen in mid-step, his dark eyes smoldered over his shoulder. "Is this part of your mistaken belief that _I need you_, Sakura?"

Crossing her arms over her chest, she said nothing as she walked behind him and stopped, face unreadable.

Quicker than sight, he turned and seized her hands, forcing them down away from her body and yanking her to him. Before she even thought to pull away, his hand snaked up her side and grabbed the back of her head, descending to roughly kiss her lips. His mouth trailed from her lips to brush her cheek, igniting hot shudders through her entire body as she gasped for breath, blood pounding in her veins. "Never forget," he murmured against her skin, "that it is _you_ who needs _me_."

And like that, he was gone as if he had never been there. The dented aluminum stall door swung slowly back and forth on its broken hinges with a steady creak, and the dust settled around her. Motionless, Sakura could only stare wide-eyed as the ANBU dashed down the corridor like a silent wind outside the bathroom, ostensibly finally in pursuit of Sasuke.

But just like before, he was gone. They wouldn't be able to catch him, she knew, but somehow, deep in her soul, she knew this wouldn't be the last time they would meet. Whether as friends or enemies, she couldn't say.

**A/N: I would love to continue this. This is the kind of story that can stand alone, or be continued with other oneshots, but only when you're not thinking about it.**


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